The Thieves of Ostia
Author Caroline Lawrence
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Story
The Thieves of Ostia is the first book in the Roman Mysteries series. A young Roman girl Flavia Gemina sets out to solve the mystery of who is killing the city's watchdogs, helped by her three friends, Jonathan (son of a Jewish doctor), Nubia (an African slave girl) and Lupus (a mute beggar boy). Their investigations take them into unexpected and sometimes dangerous situations but Flavia Gemina is unstoppable once she's on the trail to solving a mystery.
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Why we chose it
The books are full of very accurate historical detail of everyday life in Rome during the rule of the Emperor Titus. The stories are full of drama and suspense, with plenty of cliff hangers and plot twists.
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What a young reviewer said
I found the historical fiction and information on Ancient Rome really interesting and enjoyed the storyline and plot. (George, age12)
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First published
2001, Orion
Story Reviews
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The Thieves of Ostia is set during Ancient Roman times. Flavia Gemina lives in Ostia; Flavia's father is a Captain of a ship. When her father's ring is stolen she is led to meet some great people: Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus. Together they investigate the deaths of the dogs of Ostia and eventually who stole her father's ring. The Thieves of Ostia is a really good book, it is both a mystery story and an adventure one. Written by Caroline Laurence who is a Professor of Ancient Rome and Latin, it is full of ancient Roman historical fiction and is really interesting to learn about the history of ancient Rome. In addition to this history there are also some Latin words and a vocabulary bank at the back of the book. I enjoy that this book is part of a long series, and am currently reading the second book. I recommend this to anyone who wants to learn about Ancient Roman times and wants to read a good mystery and adventure story!